In addition to "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", there is also Wang Xizhi's copy of "The Dragon Orchid Pavilion", which is also a rare treasure.
The original "Lanting Preface" has disappeared, and "Shenlong Lanting" is the most exquisite of all copies.
Because there is a small seal of the Shenlong reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Xian, on the front of the volume, it is called Shenlong Orchid Pavilion.
These precious literary and artistic works have all become Shandong's trophies.
However, among the spoils of war, there were some that Shandong could not keep privately.
That was the luxurious residence of Qin and Jin merchants.
These Qin and Jin merchants were extravagant and extravagant, and the houses they built were absolutely magnificent and unparalleled in the world.
It would be a pity to destroy such a good house and house, and it would be useless to keep them.
At the very least, no official in Shandong dared to include it in his name.
Not to mention whether living there will cause criticism, and I can't afford it.
In the end, the situation was reflected to Zuo Mengeng, and he made a decision.
auction.
How many people are looking at the mansion of a salt merchant and are envious of it. It will definitely sell for a good price and increase their income.
Sure enough, when the news of the auction spread, the entire Jiangnan area was in a sensation.
Within ten days, people from even Zhejiang came over to inquire about the situation.
There's just one strange situation.
That is, although they are right in front of them, Huizhou merchants are indifferent to these luxury houses and have no interest at all.
However, Zuo Mengeng became interested and sent someone to invite Hui merchants over.
"The commander-in-chief doesn't know. We Huizhou merchants do not value luxury. Having a house to live in and food to eat is enough."
In front of Zuo Mengeng, all the Hui merchants were frightened.
There was no way, Huang Zonghui was bloody in order to conquer the Hui merchants that day.
When these people were invited today, no one knew whether it was the Hongmen Banquet.
The person who explained Zuo Menggeng was Cheng Shaozu, a leader of Huizhou merchants.
His grandfather Cheng Bai'an was close friends with Gui Youguang, and Gui Youguang wrote a birthday preface for Cheng Bai'an's eightieth birthday.
Huizhou merchants can become bigger and stronger because they obviously have a huge network of relationships.
However, now facing Shandong, all the energy in the past has no use.
After Zuo Menggeng had a conversation with the Huizhou merchants, he realized that Huizhou merchants were different from merchants all over the world who advocate luxury.
Compared with enjoyment and comparison, the daily life of Huizhou merchants is very low-key and simple.
They prefer reading.
Businessmen are like scholars, scholars are like businessmen, and merchants like Confucianism. This is the true portrayal of Huizhou merchants.
For example, Zheng Kongman, a businessman from Shexian County who is here, always carries a bookcase with him when he goes out. This time when he came to meet Zuo Menggeng, he carried a copy of the "Book of Changes" in his sleeve.
Wu Muqiu, a businessman from She County, has always had a simple family habit of having only one meal and one dish for every meal, just like the poor people.
Who would have thought that this family has a lot of resources.
During the Wanli period, when the imperial court sent troops to Korea, Wu Muqiu's great-grandfather Wu Shouli generously transferred 300,000 taels of silver, which greatly alleviated the imperial court's financial difficulties.
Because of this incident, Wu Shouli was granted the title of Director of Guanglu Temple, and Wu Muqiu's grandfather, Wu Shifeng, was granted the title of Master of the Bookstore in Wenhua Palace.
It can be said that Huizhou merchants are not extravagant, but they are quite sentimental.
Knowing this, Zuo Mengeng couldn't help but think of the later famous red-top businessman Hu Xueyan.
Looking at it this way, the cautious and self-sufficient Huizhou merchants are far better than the arrogant and domineering Qin and Jin merchants who have no moral integrity for their family and country.
After ascertaining this, Zuo Mengeng had a new idea.
"At present, all the merchants of the Qin and Jin Dynasties have been confiscated, and the local rule of the imperial court has been replaced by Shandong. If nothing else, the Lianghuai Salt Farm will naturally be reshuffled. I wonder if you are interested in participating in the operation?"
The words were spoken softly, but they struck the ground like thunder.
Even among Hui merchants who are the best at nourishing qi, their heartbeats can't help but skip a beat.
Hui merchants and Qin and Jin merchants have been fighting for nearly a hundred years. Who are they fighting over?
Isn't it just the huge amount of salt in Lianghuai River?
Over the years, the two sides have fought with each other, winning and losing. Although no one can do anything to the other, the Qin and Jin merchants generally have the advantage.
Although Huizhou merchants have penetrated deeply into the salt industry, they can only touch the corners and cannot touch the core.
Now that the Qin and Jin merchants are gone, the court is gone, and there is a vacuum in the Lianghuai Salt Fields. I don’t know how many pairs of eyes are staring at what to do with these gold mountains and silver seas.
Huizhou merchants were secretly negotiating and looking for opportunities to intervene.
It's just that Huang Zonghui's previous methods were too cruel, which scared Hui merchants and made them restrained.
At this time, Zuo Mengeng personally invited the merchants. Where could the Huizhou merchants sit down?
It's just that due to Shandong's business style, the Huizhou merchants were somewhat cautious.
"May I ask the commander-in-chief, what are the regulations for this joint-stock operation...?"
Zuo Mengeng said it all.
"In the past, these salt fields were in the hands of the imperial court. You could only buy salt from the imperial court and then resell it. Although the profit was huge, the imperial court had the final say on how much salt you could get and what kind of salt you got. There is a lot of salt.
There is little salt, good salt and bad salt, and the difference cannot be calculated in a trivial way."
After hearing this, all the Hui merchants couldn't help but nod their heads and couldn't agree more.
In the past, when they fought with the merchants of Qin and Jin, this was where they suffered most.
Many times, the best salt is simply out of their hands.
Without good salt or enough salt, there will be no good business and no more money can be made.
Zuo Mengeng clarified Shandong's approach.
"Unlike the imperial court, I, Shandong, pay more attention to business. Therefore, from now on, the salt industry in Lianghuai is no longer government-run, but business-run. Although the government still holds the dominant power and pricing power, it allows businessmen from all over the country to invest in shares and participate from the source.
The operation of the salt industry. If you are interested, you may wish to give it a try."
Cheng Shaozu couldn't contain his excitement.
"The Commander-in-Chief wishes that merchants like us can also participate in the management of the salt farm?"
Zuo Mengeng smiled and said: "Of course."
"Although salt is an important weapon of the country, in the final analysis it is just a commodity. In the past, the imperial court violated the laws of business and forcibly used administrative means to monopolize it, which caused huge damage to the industry. From now on, all rules in the salt industry will be based on business.
As shareholders, you can participate in dividends from the beginning and obtain goods more conveniently."
He paused and warned: "Of course. No matter what mode of operation, tax is absolutely indispensable. Without tax, the government will not be able to operate. Without the protection of the government, I believe that your business will not be stable.
,Yes or no?"
The Huizhou merchants quickly became alert, but the enthusiasm in their hearts did not weaken at all.
Although under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, people like them could avoid paying taxes through various means, the problem was that they could not do it happily and with all their strength.
Compared with the profits from its full participation in the salt industry, what does it mean to pay taxes in a small area?
All the Huizhou merchants did not need to go back to discuss, they made their attitude clear on the spot.
"The commander-in-chief is kind and knows how difficult it is for merchants like us. A soldier dies for a confidant. From now on, our Huizhou merchants will definitely obey the government and make the Lianghuai salt industry better than before."